I am convinced beyond a shred of doubt that change in this country will only come from the African American community. As Muslims we have to invest in African American Institutions, whether they be Muslim or Not. Here is why: I came to this realization after taking a sociology course in which we read the text book Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change. In the text book, I came upon an eye opening statement, that is probably common knowledge, but just became more powerful coming out of university text book. Speaking about the Political and Civil Rights under Jim Crow, the text states: A final force behind the creation of the de jure segregation was political. As the 19th century drew to a close, a wave of agrarian radicalism known as populism spread across the country. This anti-elitist movement was a reaction to changes in agriculture caused by industrialization. The movement attempted to unite poor whites and blacks in the rural south against the traditional elite classes. The economic elite were frightened by the possibility of a loss of power and split the incipient coalition between whites and blacks by fanning the flames of racial hatred. The strategy of divide and conquer proved to be effective (as it often has both before and since this time), and the white elite classes in states throughout the South eliminated the possibility of future threats by DEPRIVING African Americans of the right to vote. Healey, J. (2012). Industrialization and Dominant Minority Relations. In Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: The sociology of group conflict and change (6th ed., p. 185). Los Angeles: SAGE. There are so many lessons to be learned from this excerpt its unfathomable. But Ill mentioned a few. According to https://census.gov/.../facts_for.../cb12-ff01.html the African American community accounts for approximately 13.6% of the US Population, thats about 42 million people. The Muslim population in the US consists of about 7 million. These are just numbers to keep in mind for later. Now I would like to draw a comparison between what the African American community experienced here in this country, and what the Muslims are experiencing now world wide as a result of US foreign Policy. To keep it simple and general, both groups have experienced the brunt of colonialism, exploitation of their countrys resources, political and social demonization. Political and social demonization being the means to justify the ends, that is colonialism and exploitation. Muslims are now being demonized I assert, not strictly because of their religion, but because of the loss of profit and shift of power that would result from a stable middle east, whos population is almost entirely Muslim. Since the agenda is more world wide, the scape goat also has to be more encompassing than race and color. The elites dont know enough about Islam to hate it, or to see it as the one and only threat. Rather they see it as another mobilizing force (keep the excerpt above in mind) that will prevent the fulfillment of their agenda for more profit and power. As a close friend of mine said, its not a war against Islam, its a war against humanity. So these same elites, or at least their progeny, are once again fanning the flames of hatred to cause division, fear and confusion among the masses so as to rationalize and justify their billion dollar wars that are due to benefit the pockets of the current Corporatocracy and its minions, ie the Elites. As the substance technology changes, from cotton fields and plantations (agrarian age), to mass industry (Industrial Age), to data and information (Information Age) so too does the type of capital (Manpower & land, to Machinery, to data and information) need to change, as well as the scapegoat (African American, Communists, Muslims) that is required to justify the methods of maintaining that capital and status quo. Our modern day scapegoat, the war on terror, and the Muslim Threat is once again only to generate enough fear and confusion so as to justify the exploitation of natural resources, and the collecting of mass data and information on the entire world population, because now since we are in the Information age, raw data and information is what constitutes real power. Our spending habits, our car routes, everything that we read, hear, and see, everything that we eat, all that information is being collected in order to create trends and predict behavior. As a business analyst for a fortune 100 company, I know all about trends and customer behavior. Using customer data, Companies know how and when to pitch promotions to their customers in order to maximize their profits. Now replace companies, with governments, and profit with control. With all that said, consider the following: -The US is a major super power with major pull in world affairs -13.6 % of the US population is African American, approx 42 million people. -In some aspects, the African American Experience during the Civil Rights Movement is the closest in resemblance to the current Muslim experience in the West. -The excerpt above stated and the white elite classes in states throughout the South eliminated the possibility of future threats by DEPRIVING African Americans of the right to vote. To make a difference in policy through voting, people have to be aware and united in their understanding and ideals. However, this deprivation to vote has taken a different form in our day. Its called the entertainment industry, which engenders obsession with material wealth, self image, fame, women etc, to the point where people hardly even notice whats going on their own street, let alone around the world. Now I might sound like a conspiracy theorist, but why were both Malcolm X and MLK assassinated? because a well informed, educated, and empowered African American Community is one of the biggest threats facing the Elitists in this country, and possibly world wide. Reflect on the events in Ferguson for a moment, and again consider the excerpt above. White Americans are blaming the African Americans for being too violent and hostile, the African Americans are blaming the White Americans for their disenfranchisement, which is absolutely true to a degree. But by fanning the flames of hatred and prejudice, groups turn to blaming each other, never introspecting and never turning inward for self evaluation. As long as those groups see themselves as the victims, they will never consider themselves to be in the wrong. When people are angry and full of hate, they become irrational and illogical, which is exactly what the Elitists want to keep them out of the lime light. So if the general Muslim population was to invest in the education and empowerment of the African American Community (thats 42 million strong), this will then result in a more aware and active 13%. Again, Im focusing on the African American community, and not other minority groups, because of the similarities in their history and experiences to that of the Muslims. Imagine 42 million U.S. citizens who think along the same lines as Malcom X and MLK?! Think of the potential! Summarizing the idea that brother Luqman Williams put forth, Banu Israel were chosen to lead other people to the love and obedience of Allah. However, after being rescued from the oppression and tyranny of Pharaoh, and after witnessing first hand the miracles of Sayiduna Musa, they rejected and denied God, and were made to wander the desert for 40 years, with no real goal or achievements. Similarly, the Muslim American community consists largely of immigrants who God guided with Islam, and the miracle of the Quran, and rescued them from oppression, exploitation and tyranny in their own homelands, and brought them here where they have the opportunity to flourish. But instead of using this opportunity to lead people to the love and obedience of Allah as we were meant to do, we respond the same way the Banu Israel responded when told to enter the land of Palestine (or in our case the African American Communities): They answered: O Moses! Behold, ferocious people -dwell in that land, and we will surely not enter it unless they depart therefrom; but if they depart therefrom, then, behold, we will enter it. (Does this sound familiar? Well open businesses there, make the inhabitants ruin themselves even more, but we wont live there.....) [But] they said: O Moses! Behold, never shall we enter that [land] so long as those others are in it. Go forth, then, thou and thy Sustainer, and fight, both of you! We, behold, shall remain here! (These people are kafirs, we can do nothing about that, only Allah can as some Muslim Arabs would say) Had they/we listened: Enter upon them through the gate (meaning head on, dont try to sneak in through the back) for as soon as you enter it, behold, you shall be victorious! And in God you must place your trust if you are [truly] believers! 5:22-24 With all that said, just as Allah replaced Banu Israel, so will He replace us, if we dont act soon.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 07:21:08 +0000
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